


they used to shout my name now they whisper it

by serenitysea



Series: i'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Darkfic, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 22:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2446154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitysea/pseuds/serenitysea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the one where skye makes a vow and the world ends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	they used to shout my name now they whisper it

**Author's Note:**

> welp. here's part three. i'm going to let you know UP FRONT that this will hurt.
> 
> in case you need to catch up, here's one and two.
> 
> typical darkfic disclaimers apply; murder and mayhem, semi-graphic violence, total destruction.
> 
> don't say you weren't warned.

since maynard, she's been angry. 

furious, actually.  
  
and it's _good_.  
  
so now when there is a red hot flash of anger, it doesn't hurt.  
  
this time, it just _burns_ and crackles at her ankles and curls up the sides of her body until it lovingly warms her up from the inside out. it is her own rage that fuels her. it makes things clearer somehow, like she's found _purpose_. no longer does she feel like she's aimless and adrift.  
  
her anger does not tolerate the confusion that has been her steadfast companion for the past few months. it cuts through the white noise in her head.  
  
it tells her what to do next in a way that the voices cannot touch.  
  
she loves her anger.  
  
it's like fire.  
  
and skye _loves_ fire.  
  


* * *

  
late at night when she is draped over ward in their bed, she opens up to the anger. it is at the ever ready, proud to be of use and hungry for an outlet.  
  
deep in sleep, ward shifts restlessly beneath her and she brushes a thumb over his brow, carefully smoothing out the instinctive worry on his face.  
  
"i'll save you," she promises, the oath sinking deep into her skin under sinewy muscle and settling into her very bones. "don't worry."  
  


* * *

  
  
in the morning, when her anger has had all night to work in earnest and she's been connected to ward in every way possible to prevent the voices from intruding —  
  
she has an answer.  
  
ward opens his eyes to find her is smiling widely in delight. "raina."  
  
there is some kind of heartbreaking tenderness as he brushes the hair out of her face. "i'll set a course."  
  
skye buries her face in his throat, seeking his touch and closes her eyes. "later."  
  
he murmurs nonsense words and glides a hand up her back, anchoring her in place. "you're the boss."  
  


* * *

  
  
raina is nearly impossible to find.  
  
for one, she's all over the damn globe.  
  
they go through a small country's food budget just keeping the bus in the air.  
  
skye is cranky and irritable — the voices have been mostly silent but when they come (and they _do_ ), it's always when she least expects it. there haven't been any physical ramifications but her chest still aches like she's accidentally ingested too much water while swimming and her hands shake more than she cares to admit.  
  
_you must know you can't win. join us and we'll take care of all those pesky ailments_  
  
and  
  
_darling, your father is right. you can't outrun us forever and really, that young man will have to be taken care of._  
  
the rage that skye feels afterward is dark and lethal. if the bus hadn't been grounded at the time, her temper would have likely caused it to drop out of the sky. as it is, only ward survives the slaughter and the instrument cluster in the cockpit is fried, grounding them for two weeks.  
  
_you have to learn to channel that anger, my daughter. it can be useful but only if properly harnessed._  
  
skye stares unseeingly into the night. "threaten him again and deal with me. and i don't give a damn about harnessing anything."  
  
she wants _all_ of it to burn.  
  
"better watch out," she promises, humming softly. the vow sinks like fairy dust into the air before it falls softly onto the dips and valleys of her shoulders and hands.  
  
then she trails her fingers through the air and watches dreamily as sparks shoot from her fingertips.    
  


* * *

  
  
in the end, raina finds them.  
  
which is by design more than by accident —  
  
  
("maybe we should just let her come to us."  
  
"you're the strategist here. i'm just the gun."  
  
"— about that… skye, i really wish you would let me —"  
  
"—no. you're not getting your hands dirty from my mess."  
  
"it's not _your_ mess, and —"  
  
"i said _no_.")  
  
  


* * *

  
  
in a sun-splashed piazza outside rome proper, raina strolls by and takes a seat.  
  
"hello skye."  
  
ward stares at her expressionlessly and tilts his head in question to skye. she half smiles and shakes her head once.  
  
"so, you're not going to kill me on the spot?"  
  
"maybe i'm not going to kill you at all," skye pushes back from the table, standing up suddenly.  
  
_it's in poor form to kill someone who is trying to guide you on a quest to greatness._  
  
and  
  
_listen to her. she can help you, dear._  
  
  
raina watches curiously as skye appears to have a one-sided conversation. ward is used to it enough by now that it raises all sorts of protective instincts while she stares with deep fascination.  
  
"incredible. i didn't think he'd be able to do it."  
  
skye pulls out of the conversation long enough to frown at her. "you know about this?"  
  
"i've been waiting my entire life to see this," raina breathes in awe. "he's going to show us everything."  
  
ward steps close to skye and puts a hand on her shoulder, effectively silencing the voices in her head. her eyes clear and she looks at raina with intent, while her beloved anger warms the darkest parts of her. "tell me everything you know."  
  
"of course," raina reasonably agrees, as though that were her intention all along. she casts a lazy glance at the dozen civilians blissfully unaware of the tension around them. "did you have specific location in mind?"  
  
skye rolls her eyes and immediately begins walking away.  
  
ward just glares with folded arms until raina sighs theatrically and follows after her.  
  


* * *

  
  
raina tells them where to find her parents over a glass of exceptional red wine.  
  
she discloses how to breach the security and what the countermeasures are. skye has kept her arm threaded through the crook of ward's elbow to keep the voices from coming back as the anger keeps her mind clear to take detailed notes.  
  
"why are you doing this?" ward is not one to speak out of turn when skye has taken point (as she often does), but something about the ease in which raina offers up the information has him unsettled.  
  
"i want to see what she becomes," raina shrugs, the picture of nonchalance. "i think she's meant for great things."  
  
at that statement, skye comes to attention and stiffens. "he sent you."  
  
raina smiles widely and spreads her hands, palms up. "of _course_ he did."  
  
skye unthreads her arm to step in front of ward and sighs. "you should have said no."  
  
"but there's so much left to be seen and —"  
  
with an abrupt and lethal movement, skye strikes raina on the jaw and then sweeps her legs out from under her. she stares down at the unconscious woman and shakes her head. "you should have said no."  
  


* * *

  
  
it takes a little over an hour for her to come back to consciousness. the thing about raina is that she tends to recover with very little fallout. this is no exception, and she uncurls without so much as a hand to her face (where a large bruise is swelling insistently) or a grimace.  
  
skye has to admire that kind of poise, even as the smell of death and destruction linger in the air. "you know i have to kill you now." she's almost a little sorry for that — which is weird, because she didn't feel that way about any of their earlier targets.  
  
raina favors her with one final lopsided smile. "true believers _never_ die."  
  
the smile on skye's face is sharp-edged with razor knives that no sane person would dare engage. "guess you're not a true believer, then."  
  
she blows her a kiss and pulls the trigger and watches as the girl in the flower dress crumples to the ground. "we could have been great," she sighs, stepping over the fallen body. "you just couldn't keep your head out of the clouds."  
  


* * *

  
  
in the end, skye has to hand it to raina.  
  
the layout is precisely as described, security countermeasures exactly as she'd said.  
  
curiously enough there is very little input from the voices. both voices have remained suspiciously quiet. in fact, other than a brief sensation of being nudged down a certain hallway or specific turn as they weave their way through, there is nothing from that end. it is a little strange, because she is so used to having them as a constant in the back of her mind.  
  
skye becomes distantly aware of a low hum coming from somewhere within the complex. when she turns to ward to ask him if he hears it too, he stills abruptly.  
  
"what is it?"  
  
"we've been down this hall before." ward turns his head slowly and glances over her head, eyes narrowed with concern.  
  
she frowns, glancing at their surroundings. he is right. there is something strange about how the walls shift and shimmer constantly. if she stares at them long enough her head begins to ache.  
  
"this is a trap." he puts his hand out, preventing her from stepping forward.  
  
nothing they ever do can be easy.  
  
"god," she lets her head fall back in frustration. "of course it is."  
  
skye takes a deep breath and purposefully steps away from him. she opens up the connection with her parents and gasps at the sheer intensity of impatience and anger from the other end.  
  
  
_it certainly took you long enough._  
  
and  
  
_have a care, dear. if not for your young man, your next step would have been over the side of a cliff._  
  
  
the imagery around them swirls away and into the barren edges of a steep cavern. no more than a step away, as predicted — is a screaming drop into oblivion. skye backpedals rapidly until she is pressed up against ward's chest. the humming seems a little louder but she can't think over the copper taste of fear in her mouth.  
  
this is worse than they had thought.  
  
_you're starting to understand. come along, now. we've got work to do._  
  
a dim pathway suddenly illuminates to their left.  
  
"c'mon." he holds out his hand to her expectantly. "until the end of the world."  
  


* * *

  
  
there is really only one way to go from there. skye follows the low humming sound and it brings them to a wide arcing space with candles and instruments of terror scattered throughout.  
  
"you finally made it." the monster before them has hands dripping blood.  
  
when he smiles, skye can't help recoiling slightly. she has seen that grin before. she sees it in the mirror every single day.  
  
"yes," her father says, approvingly. "now you understand your true nature. you're meant to join us as we enlighten the rest of this small pathetic world."  
  
ward is at her side, providing a cool relief to the fiery rage that feels like it is about to consume her. she can't tell if the burn is coming from within or from her father.  
  
she reaches for her own anger to calm and clear her mind but it won't come. (why can't she find her _mad_?)  
  
the white-hot heat coasts over the confusion and summons forth an unwelcome emotion in its place: _regret_.  
  
skye feels the paralyzing guilt of surfacing from this entire madness and can see, in her mind's eye, everything that has transpired. (the bullet in quinn's head. the unnatural sprawl of talbot's limbs from where they were crushed beneath the bus and scattered to the winds. the look of arrogance frozen forever in place on maynard's face when they left him in that big empty house for the local authorities to find.) she gasps in pain as tears begin to leak from her eyes and crushing remorse freezes her in place.  
  
_no darling, what you did was only what you had to do._  
  
she closes her eyes and presses a hand to her head. "stop it."  
  
_you had to protect us and protect yourself. we don't hold those deaths against you. this family protects itself._  
  
she shakes her head. "not like this."  
  
from across the room, her father sighs angrily. "i had hoped it wouldn't end this way. unfortunately you've left me no choice. i simply can't have you backing out now." he raises his hand and ward starts choking behind her.  
  
she turns with horrified eyes and puts her hand on his throat, frantically willing the air passages to reopen. it doesn't work. her father is too powerful.  
  
the faint buzzing noise from before somehow flits in among the madness swirling through the room. it pings at her consciousness with the tenacity and ferocity of a tiny determined hummingbird. she takes precious care to keep her thoughts shrouded as she follows the path it makes.  
  
on the table between them is the obelisk. it now _calls_ to her, singing a siren's song of power and chaos. the writing on the sides appear and reform a hundred times over and in that moment, she can read it without a single problem.  
  
ward is beginning to crumple on himself. he is turning gray without oxygen to breathe life into his veins. the oppressive influence from her father is beginning to reassert itself in full force. without ward, she will never have a moment's peace.    
  
skye raises murderous eyes to meet her father's gaze. "let him go." with her left hand clutching ward's tightly and the other outstretched before her, the obelisk lights up like a flame and comes whistling sharply into her grasp.  
  
" _no_. you're too attached and i won't have him messing up my plans. you're meant for greatness, my dear." her father smirks and makes a small curling gesture with his fingers. the obelisk tugs sharply in her hand and she has to fight double to hold onto it.  
  
there is a painful burn emanating from the obelisk as though it is somehow torn between staying with her or returning to her father. but while he has to split his focus on keeping ward out of the picture, she only has to focus on keeping her tightening her grip. she can save him. she knows she can.  
  
"skye." with an effort that shouldn't be possible (though for as long as she's known him, ward has always defied the odds, and really, this is no exception) ward rolls his side, gasping, " _don't._ "  
  
she tears her eyes away and ignores the feel of seared flesh from where the obelisk is burning into her skin. it should be painful but it just feels somehow like she's coming home. "i will always save you," she tells him bluntly.  
  
"not like —" he is fading away under her father's assault and she doesn't want to watch. "— _this_."  
  
there is an image superimposing itself on him; a red beacon of death pronged into his chest that keeps his heart from beating. she shakes her head, knows that this time around there is no oxygen flowing to his lungs and fights against the helplessness that threatens to engulf her.  
  
"you have such _purpose_ ," her father promises darkly, "you can't be caught up with pathetic humans like this."  
  
she is suddenly battered by hundreds of voices and thousands of minds. everyone who has ever held the obelisk, every life it has ever taken, every face that it has wiped away — in a second's time, a heartbeat of life — she feels them all. the screams and last wishes and ended lifetimes.  they rest heavy on her chest like liquid fire and now she is the one gasping for air. that her father can manipulate it this way, without it being in his possession — she has stop him. she'll never be free if she doesn't. and without ward to temper it —  
  
— it becomes an abyss that she cannot escape.  
  
she _has_ to save him.  
  
there is an oath she summons forth from her very bones and it thrums with the power of creation itself. she wraps it tight into her every fiber and focuses on nothing else.  
  
"i _told_ you to **_let him go_**."  
  
she has a split second to savor the wide-eyed look of terror on her father's face before she _pours_ herself through the obelisk. there is a shockwave of _red orange yellow power_ and then —  
  
— the world ends.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> FEEL FREE to come find me on tumblr (b-isforbombshell) because i'm pretty sure no one took that summary seriously when i said THE WORLD ENDS. (ps there may or MAY NOT be a fourth part to this. so. TAKE THAT AS YOU WILL.)


End file.
